


The Light

by sparkstoflames



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), Spider-Man (Video Game 2018), Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Tangled (2010) Fusion, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Healing, Irondad, Kidnapping, Magic, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2020-08-10 01:56:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20127463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sparkstoflames/pseuds/sparkstoflames
Summary: Once upon a time, a prince with magic red finger tips that could summon healing light, was kidnapped. His name was Peter. And he’s waiting on his happily ever after.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hii!! I hope you guys enjoy this fic, I'll be updating it every monday and friday until it's done! I worked really hard on this, so please leave feedback!! Hope you enjoy!!

Once upon a time, there was a flower. A red spider lily, that glowed in the moonlight from just below the mountain. It would glow, red and white light softly flowing out of it as it waved in the wind. When a child would pass by it, scrapes covering their knees from playing with their siblings, the light would touch them, and the scrapes would disappear.

A legend grew out of the flower, that it could heal anyone who came to it. Soon, red and white paintings, banners, and lanterns found themselves strewn throughout the kingdom, giving life to the stories. And while many believed that the stories were just that, others had hope that this magic flower was out there somewhere.

When King Anthony and Queen Pepper announced that they would be having a child, the kingdom rejoiced. People would dance in the street to joyful music from bards, vendors were giving free food to little kids who bounced with excitement at the news, and festivals broke out among the far away cities. The red and white of the kingdom grew into new life, covering the kingdom in gorgeous lights and paintings. Parents told children stories of past heirs, and the excitement of a new child only seemed to blossom.

Then, the Queen fell sick. It wasn’t long until the kingdom was told of the news, and slowly, the co,ors of the kingdom began to fade into pale shades.

The King sent out search parties to find the legendary magic red flower, and the whole kingdom began to search for their last hope. Those who didn’t believe were forced to, just to find some glimmer of hope that their queen would survive.

It wasn’t long after when they found the mountain that the flower sat under, the red and white lights intertwining beneath the moonlight. Those who found the flower rushed to the castle, hoping that they weren’t too late. Doctors made a medicine out of the flower, the colors swirling together, and a warmth emanating from it.

Tony watched as they gave the medicine to Pepper, hoping that her pale cheeks would get a rush a pink color to them, that maybe she would take a deep breath, and she would be back to his Pep.

Unfortunately, the flower could only save one.

“Peter,” Tony whispered. Pepper, just barely strong enough to open her eyes, watched as Tony brought Peter close to her. Her cheeks were still pale, and she was weak as she brought up a hand to try to reach Peter.

“I love you,” She whispered, eyes flicking between both Peter and Tony. A tear fell onto her cheek, and Tony reached up to wipe it away from her face. He brought her hand to Peter, letting her leave light touches by his face while he guided her. His heart broke with every movement, and her eyes kept falling shut.

“I love you,” She mouthed, not enough strength in her to make her voice come through.

Then, she was gone. Tony felt her weight go onto his hand, and she fell back against her bed. Tony took her hand in his, sobs clawing at his throat. Peter made a little noise, looking up at Tony with beautiful brown eyes. He moved away from Pepper’s bed, taking Peter with him out into the hall to try to escape whatever existed in that room.

“Peter,” He whispered again, leaning his head down to bring him closer. Tony choked out a sob, and Peter brought a hand up. Peter’s little fingers brushed against Tony’s face, leaving light-as-air touches on his face that he could still feel even when Peter moved away. Tony opened his eyes and watched as Peter’s fingers began to tint into a red color, little white flares coming out of his finger tips.

And Tony smiled, feeling warmth come from Peter, and the light around them turning to soft red hue. And then he was reminded, he had something happy, something wonderful, a piece of Pepper that he would never lose.

It didn’t fix anything that was lost, but that warmth, that red hue, made Tony feel something other than despair.

“Is everything okay?” A voice came from in front of Tony, he looked up to see his advisor, Beck, in front of him, his eyebrows furrowed with concern as he looked over Tony, who leaned against the wall holding his newborn son in his arms.

“Pepper-“ Tony started, and then his throat began to close up again. But Beck didn’t need any other indication. He came up to Tony, put a hand on his arm and smiled at him.

“It’s going to be okay, alright? You’ll figure it out. If you ever need someone to step in for a bit, I’m here.”

Tony forced a tight smile, nodding only slightly.

“You’ve got a special little guy right here, don’t you?” Beck continued. He looked down at Peter, letting him grab onto his finger and watching his hands move about.

“Yeah. Yeah, I do,” Tony replied. And then Beck walked away, giving Tony a comforting smile as he left him and Peter alone.

—————

Tony didn’t sleep that night. The bed felt empty and cold, but he had so much to do the next day, and he wasn’t sure if he was going to make it.

He tried not to let tears slip out, tried not to wake Peter where he was sleeping in the crib in the corner of the room.

So he laid in bed, just staring, reliving every moment of Pepper’s death. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take. He wasn’t sure how he was going to announce her death tomorrow, and then follow it with Peter’s birth.

He wasn’t sure how something so wonderful could follow one of the worst moments of his life.

Tony’s door creaked open, a little click, and there Beck was, a tray in his hand. He was quiet, slowly walking over to Tony, a bit sheepish with each step. His brown hair was a mess and it looked like he hadn’t shaved in a while. Tony narrowed his eyes a bit at Beck’s appearance, but kept the thoughts to himself.

“I figured you’d still be up,” Beck said, his voice quiet. He poured tea into a cup on the tray, and handed it to Tony. “This should help a bit.”

Tony nodded, sipping at the warm tea. He felt a bit calmer, but his hands still fiddled with the edges of the teacup. Beck watched as Tony played with his hands, letting out a sigh and furrowing his brows a bit.

“You’re gonna be okay, you know that, right? I mean, you have everything you need here. It’ll all be alright.” Tony watched as Beck talked, and he narrowed his eyes a bit as he spoke.

“I needed Pepper,” Tony whispered. He looked up at Beck, who simply furrowed his brows at Tony’s response. Tony refrained from rolling his eyes.

“I don’t know how you can’t understand that,” Tony continued. Beck took a step back from Tony, looking over him with what almost looked like scrutiny before he softened his gaze again, concern in his eyes.

“You’re right. I’m gonna go, alright? Get some sleep, you’ll need it for tomorrow.” Beck turned, walking out the door and softly shutting it with a click.

Tony looked around his room. The moonlight softly shone in through his curtains, just barely hitting the corner of Peter’s crib. Tony got up, walking over to the crib to take a look at Peter. Peter was sound asleep, laying on his back. His arms were spread out, the moonlight was on his fingertips and he could see the way red light softly glowed from them, similar to the way the flower glowed when they first brought it to Pepper.

Tony leaned down into the crib, watching Peter take little breaths.

“I’m not gonna let anything happen to you,” He whispered, lightly brushing Peter’s cheek with his finger.

Tony felt his eyelids begin to fall, and he went over to his bed, finally feeling the weight of the day on his shoulders, he mentally thanked Beck for the tea, which had seemed to knock him out just as promised, and fell asleep, just as he heard the click of a door.

—————

Tony woke up the next morning to the sun shining through the windows. His curtains blew lightly in the wind, the door to his balcony ajar, letting the warmth of the outside into his room. Tony turned over, going to wrap his arms around Pepper.

He was only met with the cold side of the bed, and at the realization, his heart dropped. He felt the familiar feeling of tears at the back of his throat again, so he turned away from the empty sheets, choosing to stand up and move over to the crib.

He groggily walked to Peter’s crib, taking a peek into it. He was met with only white bedding. Tony didn’t even feel himself begin to react. His heart rate sped up, his head started to pound, and he wasn’t even sure he was thinking.

Tony ran out of his room, looking for anyone or any sign of Peter. Maybe May had taken him out of his crib since he was crying and Tony hadn’t heard it, or maybe Rhodey just wanted to take Peter outside. 

_He’s gone. He’s gone and I don’t know where he is. Someone took Peter. Who took Peter?_

He saw May in the hallway, and when Peter wasn’t in her arms, he went to run past her. But May grabbed his arm, making Tony turn towards her.

“Hey, Tony, what’s going on?” May asked, her hand was still on his arm, her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes wide.

“Peter, it’s Peter.” Tony felt out of breath, he couldn’t think, his eyes were darting everywhere, he needed to find Peter.

“Tony, what about Peter?” May asked again. Tony finally steadied onto May’s eyes.

“Peter’s missing.”


	2. New Beginnings

Peter felt soft sunlight dancing across his cheeks as he woke up. It was quiet, so he assumed that his father had left that morning. He got up slowly, letting his legs dangle off the end of the bed for a moment.

He could hear the quiet chirping of birds and the rushing water of the nearby creek. He let his feet hit the floor, and finally got up, walking around the little cabin to finish up some chores.

He’d gotten pretty used to the routine as he got older. Wake up, clean the house, cook something, wash the dishes, and then do whatever he wanted. Lately, he’d taken to staying up late into the night, mapping star patterns onto whatever sheets of paper he could find. But in the daytime, he’d do little things, drawing the pieces of scenery around him that he hoped keep forever, even when he finally left.

Peter sighed while he looked out the window. Leaving, he thought. He couldn’t even imagine what it would be like outside of the secluded woods. Sometimes, if he was lucky, his dad would let him go outside for just a bit. When he was a kid, he would take it for granted. He’d run around the grass, unintentionally scaring away little chipmunks, and then come back in before he even heard his name called.

It wasn’t the same when he got older though. He’d be let outside, and he’d just sit by the creek, his favorite place, and take it in for a bit. He’d watch as animals scurried around, bunnies hopping by the creek before finding their way back into the woods.

He always wished that he could join them, maybe find his way to the kingdom, help people that were hurt. He could help anyone, everyone.

Peter was taken out of his thoughts when the door opened, Beck standing in the doorway with a basket full of fruits, vegetables, and bread from the nearest village (not that Peter even knew where that was. His dad never told him).

“I was wondering where you were,” Peter said, getting up from his spot by the window to greet his father. Beck rolled his eyes, looking down at Peter.

“I don’t go very many places, Pete,” He replied. Peter looked down at the ground, backing away from his dad as he moved about the cabin, putting the food down on the counter.

“Hey, so I was wondering-” Peter began, returning his gaze to his dad as he took his cloak off of his shoulders.

“First things first, Peter,” Beck said. Peter furrowed his brows, but then Beck turned to reveal a deep gash on the side of his shoulder. Peter’s eyes widened, and he rushed over.

“You couldn’t have told me that sooner?” Peter complained, but then Beck narrowed his eyes at him, and Peter kept quiet. Beck sat down on the nearby chair as Peter raised his hands up to the gash.

Warmth gathered in his fingertips, and they turned into a soft red color. The gash started to close up, and then the warmth spread down to Peter’s palm, a soft red light intertwining with a new white one, both finding their way into the wound with grace. The wound began to close up, and then the skin turned back to normal. The light retreated back into Peter’s palm, and then his fingertips, before he was left with a cool feeling in his hand, almost of emptiness.

“You know, if you would ever buck up, we could actually put that power of yours to use,” Beck said as he wrapped his cloak back around himself.

“You know I don’t want to do that, dad,” Peter started. He walked away from where Beck was sitting, turning to look outside the window. “I want to help people, I just don’t want to have to pick and choose who I can help. Everyone deserves to be helped.”

Beck stood from his chair, walking over to Peter and standing over him. His arms crossed, and he looked down at Peter with a disappointed glare.

“You want to help people? Get them away from that king. You want to help people? Help me lead, Pete.”

“What’s so bad about King Anthony? Why do you hate him so much?” Peter’s voice began to raise. Beck turned to him eyeing Peter and shaking his head. He moved closer to him, raising his hands and pointing a finger at Peter’s chest, towering above Peter as he came closer and closer.

“He’s a tyrant, Pete. You know that. If you went out there and healed people however you wanted, he’d lock you up, use you to his advantage.” Beck stopped for a moment, looking down at Peter. He was against the window, looking up at his father with fearful eyes. Beck lowered his hand, moving it to Peter’s arm instead, and softened his gaze.

“You know I couldn’t let that happen,” He said, his voice softer. Peter felt himself let out a breath. “You matter too much to me, and I wouldn’t want to let that tyrant take control of you.”

Peter nodded, and then Beck moved back across the room, looking over a few of Peter’s sketches and his maps.

“Well, maybe I could go with you next time? Into the kingdom, I mean. I could see what you talk about, help people when you tell me to. I could understand what you mean,” Peter said. Beck scoffed.

“You’re not ready, Pete.”

“I’m seventeen. I’m ready, I promise-“

“I said you’re not ready!” Beck shouted, his gaze snapping up to Peter’s. Peter paused again, watching as Beck let out a breath.

“Great, now I’m the bad guy,” Beck muttered to himself.

“No, no it’s- it’s okay,” Peter started, “I get it. Maybe next year.”

Beck sighed, sitting down in a nearby chair. He rested his head in one of his hands, looking up at Peter as he stood there, eyes downturned.

“Listen, kid. You’re just not ready, alright? If- if you go out there you’ll see all of this-” Beck paused, gathering his thoughts, “-this propaganda and people that are trying to trick you into being happy even under awful conditions. If you went out there now, you’d succumb to that. You’re just not ready.”

Peter nodded again, glancing up at Beck to see that he had his eyebrows furrowed and head tilted, almost like he was trying to solve a puzzle or study a subject.

“How about I make it up to you. You like mapping the stars, kid?” Beck asked. Peter nodded, returning to looking at the floor to avoid father’s gaze.

“Well,” Beck began, “there’s this village not too far away, it makes really nice paper and some good mapping tools in this neat store. It’s about a day’s trip, but I could get you some. Consider it a late birthday present.”

Peter glanced up at his father, the beginnings of a smile on his face.

“Yeah, yeah I’d like that.”

“Sounds great, kid. I’ll leave in the morning.”

And so Peter spent the rest of the day preparing things for his dad’s trip. He made him food for along the way, and made sure that he got to take the best blanket in the house, just in case it got cold during the night. Peter stuffed everything into a bag, and the next morning, he sent his father off, giving him the bag with a smile, and a short hug.

“I’ll see you in a bit, Pete.”

“See you, dad.”

—————

Peter spent that morning doing his regular routine, cleaning the house and making himself something to eat as the day went on. Later in the day, as the sun was beginning to set, Peter decided to make his way outside. If his dad wasn’t here, what was the harm?

So he watched as the sky melted into oranges, pinks, and reds, waiting for the stars to come out so he could finish a bit of his mapping from the previous day.

The air was quiet, Peter saw a few animals around the creek, and a bunny hopped by the edge of the forest. The golden light of the sunset rested on Peter, causing warmth to spread through his body. He closed his eyes for just a moment, taking it all in.

Peter jumped as he heard a rustling noise from just outside the forest. He looked over, figuring it was a deer or another bunny just making their way out, but then a girl stepped out.

Peter froze. He watched as the girl looked around the little oasis, examining the overhanging trees, the creek, and the flowers that were scattered around the house. Then, her eyes landed on him, sitting on the grass and leaning on the outside of the house.

He examined her, just for a moment. He could see pieces of red hair slipping out from under the brown hood of her cloak, and although she was pale, he could tell that she had been out in the sun.

“Oh thank god,” She said, letting a sigh escape her lips. “Do you think you could help me? I got a little scraped up back there.”

Peter sat, still frozen, looking up at her. Her cloak hung loosely off of her shoulders, and although Peter couldn't see much of her face, something about her told him that he could trust her. That she was safe. That she would be kind. She tilted her head at Peter, her eyebrows furrowed as she watched him.

“Hello?” She said again. Peter stuttered for a moment, standing up from his spot against the wall and letting his gaze fall from hers.

“Y-yeah. Yeah I can definitely help you. Wanna come inside?” Peter asked. She seemed a bit cautious as she stepped forward, eyeing Peter as they both entered the cabin.

“So,” She began, filling in the empty silence between them, “do you live here alone?”

Peter stood awkwardly in the center of the room, realizing that they didn’t have any bandages or any other medical supplies in the house. It’s not like they ever really had a use for it.

“No, no, my dad lives here too,” He replied. Her gaze flicked around the house, looking over the bed in the corner of this room, and the large bedroom behind the door that was left just slightly open. She looked around at the wooden walls, covered in pinned papers that Peter had made, and little sketches placed around the cabin.

“So uh,” Peter began, “where are all the scratches?”

She narrowed her eyes a bit, most likely noticing that he didn’t have any bandages in his hands, but moved part of her brown cloak off her arm, showing a series of scrapes, some deeper than the others, covering the lower part of her arm.

Peter’s eyes widened at the sight, and he stepped a bit closer to look at them.

“What happened to you?” He asked.

“There was…” She paused for a moment, tilting her head as she thought of what to say, “a bit of an issue with someone I ran into.”

Peter sighed, taking her arm into his hands gingerly, he examined the cuts. There wasn’t much he could do without using his powers.

_Helping one person won’t hurt, right?_

“You have to promise that you won’t freak out.” Peter looked up at her, silently pleading. Her eyes flicked over his face, almost like she was looking for a reason not to trust him. She nodded her head slowly, and then Peter turned his gaze back towards the scrapes on her arm.

He felt heat grow into his fingertips, the red tint soon growing into a bright red throughout his whole hand, the warmth following the colors.

He heard her gasp, and looked up for a moment to see her eyes wide, watching his hands with both curiosity and wonder. She looked up to meet his gaze for a moment, and he saw something flicker in her eyes, something he couldn’t place, but then eyes fell back down to his hands, and so did his.

The usual red and white light blossomed out of his palm, swirling around her arm and leaving little dots of heat wherever it touched. The light covered her arm, and then quickly retreated into Peter’s palm once again. The air began to grow cold as the colors left the air, almost making the room appear blue in their absence. His fingertips felt cold by the time they had returned to normal.

“Holy shit,” She whispered. Peter looked up at her, the beginnings of a smile on his face.

“You promised you wouldn’t freak out,” He replied.

“You have to come with me,” She said. Peter felt his stomach drop.

“What? No, no I can’t go with you that’s-“

“What’s your name?”

“Peter- what- I’m not going anywhere with you.” Peter stepped away from her, eyes scanning the room for an escape plan, for somewhere to go, for anything that could help him.

“No, no you don’t understand you _need _to come with me,” She took small steps forward, her hands in front of her, almost trying to calm Peter down with open hands.

“No, if I come with you you’re just gonna take advantage of my powers for your own use and- and you’re gonna give me to King Anthony and he’s gonna use me! And then I’m not gonna be able to help anyone. It won’t even matter anymore,” Peter’s voice fell to a whisper as he continued. The girl stepped closer again, leaning down to catch Peter’s eye. Her head shook, her eyes filled with some kind of sympathy that Peter didn’t understand.

“Peter, you can’t help anybody here. No one knows that you’re here. If you want to help people, you have to come with me. You aren’t doing any good here,” She paused for a moment glancing out the window before turning back to him, “There are people that _need _you, Peter.”

And Peter paused for a moment, looking over her face. There wasn’t anything that signaled she was lying, or that she was trying to trick him. But his dad had said that this is what people would do, that people would try to trick him and then they’d use him and he’d never be able to get away-

And he also said he wasn’t ready. That he’d fall for their tricks. But Peter didn’t, he saw through her, so maybe, just maybe, he _was_ ready.

And this could be his chance. He could go with her, help some people, prove to his dad that he was ready to go out there and that he could do it. That he wouldn’t fall for anything out there.

“I don’t even know your name,” Peter replied.

“MJ.” She took another step forward, this time putting her hand out to his, “Peter, you don’t know what the kingdom is like. I’ll show you it, you can _help _people. I promise you that everything will fall into place.”

And he could do what he wanted. He could help people, not care who they were aligned with or who they were.

He wasn’t sure what to think. But she said all that mattered. He could help people. Finally he would be able to use his gift for something that actually mattered. For something that could change lives.

But everything he knew about the kingdom went against whatever she said. He _did _know the kingdom, from everything that his dad had told him he knew that it was led by a tyrant. He knew that people suffered everyday in the streets while the king refused to help.

He knew all he needed to know.

But then she reached her hand towards him just a bit more, pleading with her eyes.

“Just let me show you what it’s like.” Her voice was soft, inviting, and so he took her hand, and nodded hesitantly.

_How bad could this possibly be?_


	3. Chapter 3

Peter scribbled a short note. He didn’t say where he was going, but he told his dad that he’d left, that he’d be back, and that he would prove to him that he was ready. She watched as he moved about the cabin, fixing things up just the way that Beck liked them to be. At least Peter could curb some of his dad’s anger if he kept things nice here.

“You almost done here?” She asked, leaning against the doorframe. Peter glanced back at her, then turned to the cabin once more, eyes scanning the room to make sure that everything was perfect.

“Sorry, but yeah. Yeah I’m done,” Peter replied. He grabbed his bag from his bed, and then turned back to MJ. “Let’s go.”

A little smile crossed her face, and she stepped out the door, opening her arms to guide him to the outside.

“Well, let’s go then,” She said. Peter smiled, and then stepped out. He had taken one of his father’s old cloaks, burgundy in color, and wrapped it around himself. Then, they walked towards the forest, her leading the way.

“So you really never went past here?” She asked, moving a branch out of their way, showcasing a small hidden path.

“No, my dad never let me so I just never bothered,” He answered. She raised an eyebrow at him, finally following the small path in front of them. Peter glanced around the woods, almost in awe of how gorgeous they were. It was dark underneath all the trees, but he could see little animals hopping from branch to branch, or hear the occasional whistle of a bird.

“If I wasn’t allowed to leave, I don’t know what I’d do,” She said, almost talking to herself. Peter just shrugged, not even glancing at her as they spoke, he was too busy looking at all the new pieces of the world.

“I mean, you saw, I just found ways to keep busy, I guess. I really do like mapping the stars though, I think that’s my favorite thing.” Peter then glanced over to her, and saw her smiling at him.

“What?” He asked.

“Nothing, you just remind me of someone.” Her voice was soft, something that he realized was one of her traits. She’d had this way of calming you down, making you feel like nothing was wrong.

_She’s tricking you._

Peter glanced over at her as they walked. She kept her eyes ahead of her, but she scanned the path, almost like she was waiting for something to jump out. She moved another branch out of her way, and then glanced back over to Peter.

“So who’s your dad?” She asked.

“His name’s Quentin Beck. I’m not really sure what he does. He’s never really told me.” He noticed her stiffen a bit, gain tension in her shoulders, before quickly returning back to normal.

“What’s he like?”

“I mean, I think he wants what’s best for everyone, you know? Sometimes he can be a bit rough, or he can lose his temper, but I think he wants the right thing.” Peter’s gaze turned to the ground, kicking a rock with his boots as he walked. When she sighed, Peter looked up to see her looking at him with something he could only describe as concern, her lips pursed and her eyebrows pushed together. Peter shifted as she looked over him, feeling like there was something he was missing, but he chose to ignore it.

“So, uh, what about you?” He asked. She hummed a question in response, her eyes meeting his again.

“What’s your whole backstory, i guess?” She let a soft laugh leave her lips, and simply shrugged.

“I was an orphan. Used to be really good at stealing food for myself and a few other kids. One day, I got caught by a guy who just wanted to know why I was doing it. I told him everything, and he took me in. He found places for the other kids, too. I was really just raised by a group, but there’s this one girl,” She paused, taking a moment to smile in Peter’s direction, “She always took really good care of me.”

Peter almost felt a pang of jealousy. What would it have been like to be raised by a group of people? He wondered if some of them would never have yelled at him. If they would’ve let him do what he wanted.

They walked in silence after that, Peter still looking about the forest, watching for animals and other interesting things.

After another hour or so, there appeared to be a few openings of light, the path opening up into a small village. The sunshine shone through the trees, allowing warmth to set in the forest, and when they stepped out of the forest, it was like being wrapped in the warm sunlight.

Peter let his eyes glance over the town. A wooden bridge lifted over a small river, and there sat a series of wooden buildings. People bustled around, some carrying baskets full of food, tools, or other items.

Peter took a look up to see where the sun was in the sky. It was just past midday, so he furrowed his eyebrows at MJ, giving her a confused look.

“Are we stopping here?” He asked.

“No, we just have to pass through. We have a few more hours of daylight before we need to stop,” She replied. Peter nodded, following her as she stepped onto the bridge.

Peter looked around the village, eyes wide as he tried to take everything in.

It was small, probably only 60 people could fit, but it was so nice. A few children ran around, chasing each other with sticks as swords.

MJ watched as two of them looped around her, a laugh falling past her lips as she twirled to watch them run off. Peter couldn’t help the smile on his face as he walked through the village. Everything seemed so alive, much more than the forest or his little secluded cabin ever could.

“MJ!” A voice called. She turned, walking towards a boy, most likely around the same age as her and Peter. He had messy brown hair sticking out from underneath a hood and a bright smile on his face.

MJ lit up when she saw him, wrapping him in a quick hug before she backed away.

“Did you find anything in there?” He asked, gesturing towards the forest. Peter stayed quiet behind her, eyes flicking over the village, still trying to properly take it all in.

“Not really,” She replied. Peter had to refrain from making a face, but it seemed like the boy had already suspected something anyway. He turned to Peter, smile still bright on his face.

“I’m Harley,” He said.

“Uh, Peter, it’s nice to meet you,” Peter replied. Harley’s eyes glanced over at MJ, his eyebrows drawn together for just a moment, before he brought his gaze back over to Peter.

“You too.” Harley brought his attention back to MJ, confusion still slightly evident on his face, but when she shook her head slightly, it seemed to disappear.

She and Harley talked for a bit longer, and Peter still silently stood by, looking about the town with a bit of wonder.

He honestly didn’t understand how he lived so close to something so nice. How he was only a few miles away from a little village, with children and shops and a peaceful little river.

Peter noticed a red and gold banner hanging off of an archway. He stepped away from Harley and MJ, taking a closer look at the banner.

While it was mostly red, gold flowers and vines decorated the edges, creating a little frame around the words in the middle.

“Coronation of Princess May,” Peter whispered to himself. But the date was off, fifteen years off. Peter tilted his head, trying to figure out what had gone wrong that this banner was still up.

“It’s the anniversary of her coronation tomorrow, so they like to put up the original banners from the day of her coronation,” MJ said, coming up from behind Peter.

“I didn’t know that King Anthony had a wife,” Peter said, but he was only met with laughter from MJ.

“Oh god no,” She began, “She’s his sister. King Anthony isn’t actually King anymore. He stepped down a long time ago and gave her the title, but everyone still calls him that. He’s always going to be the King in our minds.”

_Stepped down? Why would he step down? Wouldn’t that make him lose power?_

“We should keep going,” MJ said. She grabbed Peter’s arm, carefully leading him down another path away from the village. “If we want to get to the kingdom by tomorrow evening, we’ll have to keep moving.”

Peter nodded, letting her lead, but his mind was still racing with questions.

They moved along the path, although still in a forest, this one was much clearer. Peter could see the tips of mountains through the trees, and flowers bloomed on the long stretches of grass. Men on horses would occasionally pass them, bags filled with items for trade.

But Peter was struggling to pay attention to most of it, he couldn’t understand why King Anthony would step down from power when he was such a tyrant.

_Maybe he’s just using May as a front?_

That had to be it. He needed a new face of the Kingdom, a new person that they could trust.

“What’s on your mind there, Peter?” She asked, lightly knocking her shoulder into his.

“Nothing, I just-“ Peter sighed. There wasn’t much point to keeping anything from her. The worst she could do was lie to him, right? “Why would King Anthony step down?”

She let her eyes flit over Peter, her lips pursed, like she was considering something.

“Do you know the story of the lost prince?” She asked. Peter shook his head.

“Well,” She began, “Almost eighteen years ago now, Tony- King Anthony, had a son. He lost his wife during childbirth, and then later that night, someone managed to drug him and kidnapped his son. Ever since then he’s sent out search party after search party, knight after knight, trying to find him.”

Peter sighed, that still didn’t line up with him being a tyrant.

“That still doesn’t explain why he stepped down,” Peter said.

“It took him a few years to realize it, but he stopped paying attention to the Kingdom and its people. He felt awful, sent out huge apologies to every village, every town, and stepped down, letting May take his place.” Peter noticed the softness in her voice, the way she would smile just a bit as she told the story.

“But he’s a tyrant,” Peter finally said, feeling like there was no other way to get an answer for his actual question.

“What?” MJ replied. Her voice was raised, her head whipping around to look at Peter. “God, Tony is anything but a tyrant. He just wants what’s best for everyone, he’d never abuse his power. That’s why he stepped down!”

“But I’ve always been told-“

“Peter, you’ve never seen the kingdom. You’ve never been given a chance to experience how gorgeous it is, how happy the people are. You’ve never seen Tony when he’s in the square, dancing with people and putting on shows for little kids.” She paused again. “You haven’t seen all that he does for his people.”

Peter wasn’t even sure what to say. He kept walking, keeping his head down and looking at the ground.

He heard her sigh again, and took a moment to look at her face.

“And it’s not your fault that you haven’t seen that. I’ll make sure you get that chance.”

And Peter was still skeptical. He wasn't sure if she was telling the truth, and if she wasn’t, then god she was good at lying, but he couldn’t help but think that she was right. That maybe his dad was lying to him.

But he didn’t know, so he just smiled, knocking his shoulders into hers.

“Thanks,” He said. He’d find out the truth soon enough.

He noticed the sun was starting to set, and he was amazed by it. It was the same sun he saw every night, but it seemed so different out here, like the colors were more vibrant, or the way they melted into the scenery just seemed more welcoming. He wasn’t sure, but whatever it was, it made him fall in love with the outside.

“We should stop around here,” She said. She pointed to a little clearing nearby, and Peter followed her, still enraptured in the colors of the sunset.

“You know how to start a fire?” She asked, bending over to pick up some sticks nearby. When Peter shook his head no, she smiled. “I’ll teach you.”

And so she did, teaching him how to set up a fire, and how to actually get it going in the midst of this little clearing in the forest. And she’d laugh, tell him how she used to set up fires for the little kids she took care of before she got taken in.

“You never did tell me who you got taken in by,” Peter said, still watching as she worked to light the fire.

She paused, looking up at him for a moment. She continued working on the fire, letting a spark begin, and then she moved some sticks around trying to maintain it. They sat in silence for a few moments, and then she spoke, just barely loud enough for Peter to hear.

“Tony,” She answered.

“Huh?”

“King Anthony, I guess. Sorry, I’m not really used to calling him that. He saw me stealing on the street one day and he knew that a kid shouldn’t be living like that. So he found homes for all of us, loving homes. I still talk with all the kids. Like Harley.” She looked up at Peter, who had wide eyes. No wonder she always talked about King Anthony with such admiration. He almost felt stupid for not catching on quicker.

“But he’s not like my dad, before you ask. I was raised mainly by Natasha, one of the knight trainers, and Bruce, Tony’s advisor.”

“What was that like? You know, having all of those people who cared about you, living in the palace, all that,” Peter asked. She moved, the fire now alive, and sat down next to him.

“I mean, it was nice,” She said. “I always knew that someone cared about me.”

Peter nodded, taking a moment to think to himself. Did he ever really feel that way?

“Did your dad ever make you feel like that?” She asked, and for a moment he swore that she could read his mind.

“No,” Peter whispered, “No, I don’t think he ever did.”

Peter felt her hand on his shoulder, her thumb rubbing a soft pattern. He raised his hand up to hers, letting it rest on top, and then looked up at her, giving her a little smile.

“It’s okay. I’m sure I’ll find that one day.”

She returned his smile, and then took her hand off his shoulder, opting instead to turn towards him a bit more.

“So tell me more about your… y’know.” She held her hands up, letting her fingers dance in the air. Peter laughed, shaking his head a bit at her.

“What do you want to know?”

“What does it feel like to you?” She placed her hand in her hands, looking up at Peter with curious eyes.

“Warm, mainly,” He answered. “And then it just feels a bit cold for a few moments after.”

“Can you like, revive people?”

Peter shrugged, thinking for a moment. Honestly, he’d never even thought about it, much less attempted it. It’s not like he was given much opportunity to anyway.

“I don’t know.”

“Well, if I ever die,” She began, “You have permission to try to revive me.”

Peter laughed again, rolling his eyes at her.

“How about you do me a favor and don’t die?”

“Well, I’ll certainly try.”

She smiled at him, a bit smug and he laughed again. She went back to sitting right next to him, and she leaned her head on his shoulder. He liked the way it felt to have her lean on him, it felt comforting, almost like home.

“Are you excited to see the kingdom tomorrow?” She asked.

“More than you know,” He replied.

And then they fell asleep like that, leaning on each other, and next to the warm fire, the stars watching over them.


	4. New Life

Beck had never liked the trail leading back to the cabin. He always thought that, if given the chance, he would make the path wider, cut down a few more of the trees. His bag was heavy, holding the cheapest supplies he could find for Peter, along with leftovers of whatever food Peter had made for him (he didn’t know, he had just bought food along the way instead).

When he finally reached the clearing with the cabin, it was oddly quiet. He figured Peter was sketching out of the back window, or was still asleep. The sun had risen only just recently, and it wasn’t like Peter to be up at the break of dawn.

“Hey Pete,” Beck yelled as he opened the door. He looked around, seeing Peter’s bed empty and Peter nowhere to be found. He felt his stomach drop, panic setting in as he looked around the cabin.

“Shit,” He said, throwing his bag down. There was a note on the table, Peter’s handwriting scrawled across it.

_Hey dad, I left. I’ll be back, but I’m going to prove to you that I’m ready. I have someone with me, she seems nice. I’ll be okay, and I’m going to show you that I’m ready to help you._

_ -Peter_

Beck crumpled the paper in his hand, angrily rolling his eyes and groaning.

“This fucking kid,” He mumbled. He ran out of the cabin, immediately making his way down a different trail. He knew where he had to go.

_Obadiah Stane, _he thought, _I have a target for you._

—————

Peter woke up early in the morning, MJ’s head still resting on his shoulder, both of them leaning against a rather uncomfortable tree. He lightly shook her awake, whispering her name.

She groaned, stretching out a bit as she woke up.

“We should get going, shouldn’t we?” He asked. She looked up at Peter, letting her eyes adjust to the light, before nodding.

“Yeah,” She said, “Yeah, we should.” She got up, and then pulled Peter to his feet. She rubbed her eyes, yawning before she gestured for Peter to follow her.

“You’re slow to wake,” Peter teased. She rolled her eyes.

“I could be slower if you wanted,” She replied, and then put her arms around Peter, leaning her head on his shoulder and pretending to fall asleep. He laughed, shoving her off of him as her laughter began to join his.

And so they walked, continuing down the path together, little bits of conversation filling the air. And when the sun had reached its peak in the sky, Peter could see bits of the town below the palace. It was large, houses covering rolling hills, all beneath an extravagant palace, surrounded by trees and mountains.

“Holy shit,” Peter whispered. He kept looking over what he could see, trying to memorize every building and every tree.

“Isn’t it amazing?” MJ said. He looked over at her, smile still taking over his face, and when she saw that, she couldn’t help the smile that found its way onto hers.

“It’s more than amazing it’s-“ Peter paused, he wasn’t even sure how to finish the sentence, he just kept looking up at the city.

“Yeah,” She replied. “I get it.”

“Although…” She continued, dragging the word a bit, “I think it’ll be even better if you look straight ahead of you instead of up.”

Peter did as she said, and in the distance saw an archway with an entrance to a bridge. As they got closer, he saw that the bridge was over a large river, which flowed much farther than he could see, and then also into a lake just inside the walls of the city.

When they got to the bridge, Peter hesitated. Past here, this is where everything was meant to trick him, right?

But after everything he heard, everything he’d seen? He wasn’t sure how this could be a trick. How it could all be a lie.

He looked over at MJ, who was now making her way down the bridge. She turned when she saw he wasn’t following, her smile glowing when she looked at him. Her hood was now off and away from her face, which allowed her red hair to fall over her shoulders. Peter couldn't see her eyes from this far away, but they'd always been so kind.

_This can’t be a trick._

So he smiled back, and took his first step onto the bridge, gladly following her down to the city.

Peter looked down over the side of the bridge, watching as the water flowed. The river was wide, but it was slow, meandering. Trees would hang over the river, some of their leaves just barely scraping the water.

He’d never really seen water like this. His only exposure before was his little creek.

“Isn’t it pretty?” MJ said. She had this look on her face when Peter turned to her, he couldn’t quite place it. But she was smiling, so he took it as a good sign.

“Yeah,” He whispered, not even sure if he could trust his words to describe how everything felt out here.

“I used to find ways down there. Harley and I would splash each other until one of us was completely soaked.”

Peter looked down at the river again, trying to picture the two of them as little kids, their laughter filling the air as they messed around. He really wished he had that.

“Well,” MJ began. Peter turned, looking up to see the archway above the bridge, and the opening of the city. “Here we are.”

Peter’s eyes scanned every part of the city. There were stone buildings, large and gorgeous, some with stone roofs and others thatched. As he took more steps into the city, he noticed just how alive it was. People were celebrating in the streets, banners of Queen May strewn about.

There were bright paintings, loud music, and dancing couples in the streets. Children ran about, some with makeshift crowns and others holding play swords, chasing after each other while their laughter caught the attention of the adults around them.

He could smell fresh baked bread, and there were vendors selling fresh fruit and vegetables at every corner.

Peter followed the little stone pathway, MJ close behind him. They weaved between crowds of people, and Peter couldn’t help but feel like this was home. Something about the way everything seemed so alive, and happy, he never wanted to leave.

_This isn’t a trick, _he thought. _God this- this is how I’m supposed to live._

MJ grabbed his hand, a bright smile on her face as she began to drag him along.

“C’mon, I wanna show you something.” And there was something in her voice, something that screamed adventure and life and happiness, and it felt like everything he had been missing came crashing in front of him. And it was all wrapped in a brown cloak and whispering about the outside.

And it felt _right._

So he followed, gladly letting her take his hand as they ran through the streets, until they finally came upon a square.

Strings of lanterns were hung over their heads, red and gold colors creating a feeling of comfort above them. There was still music playing, and people were dancing in the center of the square, switching off partners and laughing. There were a few little girls and boys who were painting off towards the corner of the square, creating bright new pictures filled with calm blues and loud yellows.

And then Peter’s eyes landed on the large mosaic. Pieces of color placed together to create the vibrant picture in front of him.

It was of a man, he assumed it was King Anthony based on the crown, holding a little boy. The boy was reaching up to his dad, his fingers brushing his cheek. And King Anthony just smiled down at him, through what looked like teary eyes. Peter couldn’t help but notice the red tint to the painting, the way that even the little boy’s fingers seemed to have a pink hue to them.

And then Peter noticed the little engraved message at the bottom.

_To our lost prince, for bringing warmth when it was cold, and light in the darkness._

“That was made just a few months after the Prince was kidnapped,” MJ said, coming up behind Peter and putting a hand on his shoulder.

“I can’t even imagine what King Anthony must have gone through.”

“I didn’t know him then, but based on what I’ve heard? It was awful.”

Peter didn’t say anything after that, just gave MJ a soft smile, and grabbed her hand that was resting on his shoulder, lightly rubbing the back of it with his thumb. She smiled back at him, a bit melancholy, and rested her head on his shoulder for just a moment.

“Hey,” She said after a beat of silence, “Why don’t we go experience the city for a bit?”

And Peter nodded, excitedly letting her drag him away from the square and into a marketplace.

And they spent the day like that. Her grabbing his hand, telling him that there was something he just needed to try, and he followed, gladly. He tried new fruits that he hadn’t ever heard of. He tried fresh baked goods that were way better than any of the ones he had ever made at home. And he danced, poorly, he’ll admit, but he did. They danced together in the square and he joined in on the laughter of the city while he did it.

And once again, in those little moments, it all felt right.

It was when the sun began to set and the festivities were starting to come to an end when MJ finally told him that they needed to make their way to the palace.

It was up a long, winding trail up the hill, filled with gorgeous forests and following a stone wall. And as the sun set behind the palace, and the light hit the two of them with the gorgeous golden hue, Peter still felt safe. He still felt comfort and life within the city, in ways that he never did back home.

Eventually, the sun dipped below the horizon and the stars came out, and Peter looked up and watched them as they walked, completely in awe once more.

“I forgot how much you love the stars,” MJ said. She looked where Peter was gazing up, trying to follow whatever he was. He noticed her furrowed brows as she tried to follow him, and grabbed her hand, guiding it to where he was looking.

“There,” He said, pointing to a star that was tinted red, “I think that might be a planet.”

And they stood there for a few moments, Peter guiding MJ’s hand to different stars, and her smiling in wonder the whole time. She told him what he thought about the stars, what he still had left to map, the things he saw in them.

And it was peaceful, just them looking at the stars. And then their eyes met, just for a moment. He had never noticed how green her eyes were, or the way freckles dotted across her nose and along her cheeks.

They were so close, Peter was sure that she could hear his heart beat, the way it sped up every time those gorgeous green eyes met his.

“Peter, I-“

An arrow whizzed past them, so close that Peter felt the wind of it catch his hair. It landed in between the cobbles of the stone wall, and before they even knew it, both of them jumped away from each other.

MJ grabbed a dagger from the inside of her cloak, looking into the trees for any sign of movement.

“Peter, go,” She whispered.

“What?”

“Go, run to the castle. I’ll stay here.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

“Peter’s right,” Another voice said. They both looked up to the forest. Peter felt his heart rate pick up, his hands begin to shake. “He’s not going anywhere.”

Peter watched as a man made his way out of the forest, bow in his hand. He had a mask covering the lower half of his face, only his eyes peeking out from underneath his hood.

“Stay back!” MJ yelled. Her voice was shaking, but she held tightly onto her dagger, ready to use it if he took another step closer.

“If you say so,” He replied. He drew an arrow from his quiver, running his hands over it.

“You know,” He began, “You really never should have left, Peter.” He set the arrow into his bow, but didn’t draw it. He continued to play with it, feeling the weight of it in his hands.

“What do you want?” MJ asked, taking a step closer.

“Nothing that you have,” He replied. And then he drew his bow back, shooting the arrow before either of them could react. It landed in MJ’s shoulder. She hissed, holding her shoulder with one hand.

Peter yelled her name, but her eyes were barely able to stay open. She leaned back against the wall, still holding onto her shoulder. Peter tried to grab her to keep her up, but she kept falling back.

“That’s the nice thing about delivering drugs by arrow,” The man said. “They’re fast acting.”

Then Peter felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He yelled, tried to call out for help, but he could barely produce a noise, and then his vision started to fade.

“See you soon, kid,” A voice said, and then Peter was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

Peter woke up to the sound of the creek and birds chirping. He was laying in his bed, an ache in his shoulder. He groaned as he tried to sit up, looking around the cabin.

“Hey, hey, take it easy.” He turned to see his dad sitting on the end of his bed, looking over him with furrowed eyebrows and wide eyes.

Peter sat up, leaning against his headboard as he lightly rubbed his shoulder. He caught some bandages, and winced.

“God, what- what happened?” He asked.

“I found you on the side of some road. God, when I found that note I was so worried. I started looking everywhere for you. You were passed out, an awful wound on your arm. I didn’t know when you were gonna wake up so I bandaged it until you’d get a chance to heal it.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll uh, I’ll get to it in a second.” Peter looked around the room. And then he felt his heart drop. “Wait, where’s-“

“The girl? You mentioned her in your note, but I couldn’t find her.” Beck leaned forward, putting a hand on Peter’s knee. “I’m sorry, Pete.”

Peter felt sobs claw at the back of his throat. He finally felt at home, he finally felt like something was right, he finally felt _free. _He looked up at Beck.

And now he was back here.

“Well, I’m gonna go finish some things up, alright? Why don’t you heal yourself, maybe grab yourself something to eat. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Peter nodded, and then Beck gave Peter a little smile, then turning to walk out the door. When he left, Peter turned in his bed, letting his feet dangle off of the side.

He took a look at his shoulder, a bandage haphazardly wrapped around it, red just barely peeking out from under it. He carefully unwrapped in, wincing a bit at every movement.

When he saw the wound, he was glad that healing didn’t leave scars.

“God,” He whispered, and then raised a hand up to his shoulder. He felt the warmth gather in his fingertips, watching as they tinted red.

And then he paused, tilting his head. Where else had he seen red fingertips? He shook his head then, letting the warmth travel though his hand until the light flowed out of it and into his wound. Red, warmth, light.

And like that, everything started to rush in. His breathing sped up, his hand started shaking. He felt the warmth travel into his shoulder and then felt it disappear, but he wasn’t paying any attention.

The mosaic.

And everything made sense. That’s why he wasn’t allowed outside. That’s why MJ took him. That’s why he was going to the palace.

And Beck wasn’t his dad.

Beck walked back in, a light smile on his face. He turned and saw Peter, who was holding onto his shoulder, looking at the ground with wide eyes.

“Everything alright, Pete?” He asked. Peter looked up at him, and he felt everything that had ever happened to him surface. Everything he had missed.

He had taken his entire life from Peter. He could’ve lived with Tony, been loved by people in the palace just like MJ. He could’ve had that. But he was taken. Taken by someone who didn’t even bother to call him by his full name.

“Don’t call me that,” Peter muttered.

“What?”

“I said, don’t call me that,” Peter yelled.

“Don’t you dare yell at me,” Beck replied. Peter stood up, walking over to where Beck was standing.

“I’m the lost prince, aren’t I?”

Peter watched as all emotion left Beck’s face. He stood there, looking over Peter.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Pete. It’s all in your head.”

“Oh my god, I’m the lost prince and you stole my entire fucking life from me!” Peter yelled. He put his hands in his hair, walking away from Beck.

“I took you away from a tyrant-“

“You took me away from my dad! A guy who stepped down from power because he was too busy looking for me! You took me away from someone who actually fucking loved me!”

Then it was silent. Beck looked over Peter, jaw clenched and eyes narrow.

“You’re never going back there, Peter. You’re coming with me and we are going so far away you are never going to be able to find this kingdom again,” Beck was yelling, taking steps towards Peter.

Peter backed away, trying to find something to fight with, trying to find anything he could use to fight back, to run away. He turned, going to grab a knife from the kitchen, but then he felt something hit his head, and it went black again.

—————

When MJ woke up, everything ached. She had a sharp pain in her shoulder, but her entire body felt like it was on fire. She tried to move her arms, but felt rope rub against them when she tried to move. She finally opened her eyes, taking a moment to look around. It was a dark room, her arms were tied to the back of a chair, and she was alone.

She took another look at the chair. She was only tied with one rope by her wrists to the chair.

_Dumbass._

She moved her wrists, turning them each way she could, and tried to make as little noise as possible. She felt the ropes start to loosen, and then she slipped her right hand out, before getting her left hand out as well. She lifted up the rope from around her torso, and started to look around the room.

_Please have my dagger. Please have my dagger._

She saw it sitting on a far away table, along with a few other items that weren’t hers. She walked over and grabbed it, holding it tightly in her hand as she continued to look around the room.

She heard footsteps come from just outside the door, and quickly ducked under a table near the door. It opened slowly, creaking.

The man from the forest emerged, although without his mask and cloak. From what she could see, he looked old. Much older than Tony or Bruce, and he was bald, but a large beard covered a good portion of his face.

_Then why bother with the mask?_

“Oh that fucking bitch,” He muttered. She rolled her eyes. He started to move towards her chair, and she jumped out from under the table, restraining his arms with one hand and using her other arm to press her dagger against his throat.

“Were you looking for me?” She asked, her voice sweet. “You know, for such a big shot assassin, you didn’t do a very good job of killing me.”

“Thought I’d have some fun with it. Get some information out of you,” He replied. She had to refrain from rolling her eyes.

“Wanna tell me where I am?” She asked.

“You can kill me sweetheart. You aren’t gonna get anything out of me.”

MJ groaned. With a swift movement of her arm, she hit him in the center of his torso with the hilt of her dagger. He gasped, falling to the ground in front of her. She placed her boot on the center of his back. He continued gasping for air.

“Care to tell me now?”

“Go,” He gasped again, “to hell.”

She took her boot off of him.

_You’re certainly stubborn._

She walked out of the room, leaving him to continue to gasp for air. She was met with sunshine and the outside of a barn. She looked around, there was a horse tied to a fence post, a pretty tan coat and a light mane.

_Perfect._

“Hey,” She said to the horse, her voice light. “I need you to work with me, alright?” She untied the horse, and it stayed still, so she took that as permission.

She climbed onto the horse, and started going, galloping towards the nearby path.

There was nothing familiar along here, no signs, no other paths that led her to anywhere she would know. She kept looking down every new road she met, trying to find signs of other people, or signs, or towns she knew.

She almost felt like giving up, but then she saw a sign pointing down towards the village by Peter’s cabin.

_Peter, please be safe._

And so she kept going, hoping this horse was fast enough to get her there in time. When she came to the village, she swore she’d never felt so much relief. She rode through, but then she spotted a familiar heap of brown curls, and stopped in her tracks.

“Harley!” She shouted. He turned, looking up at her with wide eyes.

“Shit, MJ, what are you doing?” He asked.

“Listen, there isn’t much time to explain but Peter’s in trouble. If I’m not back in ten minutes, go to that forest,” She pointed towards where the hidden path was, “and follow that path until you come to a cabin in a clearing. Do you understand?”

Harley nodded.

“You’ll need a horse.” She said, and then she kept riding.

—————

Peter woke up to a cloth in his mouth. He opened his eyes, seeing Beck standing over him. He tried to move, but was stopped. His hands were tied, keeping him in place and against his bed. He tried to move again.

“Don’t even bother,” He said. He waited for a beat, but Peter didn’t make a sound. “God, you know it’s so much nicer when you can’t talk.” Peter only narrowed his eyes at him, trying again to move towards him.

“I’ve decided, we’re going far away. You know there’s a neighboring kingdom, but there’s no villages near there for miles. No one will find you there, much less look for you.”

Peter felt his heart sink, and panic started to set in. He was going to have to spend the rest of his life with him. He would never get to see his dad. He would never get to see MJ again.

“And you know, I’ve decided that you don’t need to be “ready” to come with me anywhere. I’ll just bring people to our new house. How’s a locked cabin sound?” He paused, laughing a bit. “You’ll heal people when I say, and they’ll all love me. I’ll have all the power I want, Pete.”

A noise came from outside, and Beck turned.

“Shit.” He hid by the door. Peter wanted to scream, tell them to leave. And then he saw who it was. MJ.

_No, please no._

“If you try anything, I’ll fucking kill you. You understand?” Beck whispered. Peter nodded, hoping that MJ would stop, turn around, do anything but walk through that door.

The door slowly opened, and there she was, beautiful as ever, her hair falling out of her ponytail.

“Peter!” She yelled as she locked eyes with him. He yelled the best he could, trying to get her to turn.

But then Beck grabbed her shoulder, and then MJ gasped. Peter watched in horror as she fell to the ground, Beck’s blade held in his hand.

She groaned, her hand over her stomach. He tried to scream, he tried everything he could. He tried to move closer to her, to go help her. He could feel his hands getting warm, and tears stung his eyes.

“C’mon Peter, let’s go,” Beck said. Peter shook his head, using his shoulder to try and get the gag off. He managed to get it out of his mouth, letting it fall down around his neck.

“No!” He shouted. Beck looked over at him, eyebrows raised.

“What?”

“I said no,” Peter repeated. “I’m not going with you. I am going to fight you, every single day of my goddamn life. I won’t heal anyone ever again, I’ll scream, I’ll kick, I’ll make a scene wherever you take me.” Peter paused, letting the silence settle between the two of them. He glanced back over at MJ. “Unless you let me heal her.”

Beck tilted his head, looking Peter over.

“If you let me heal her, I’ll do whatever you want. For the rest of my life I’ll do everything you ask me to.”

Beck rolled his eyes, but then he moved to Peter, untying his hands. Peter kept his eyes on MJ, watching her continue to gasp for air and groan as she moved. Her red hair was covering her face, and he could just barely see the way she twisted her eyes shut as she groaned. He felt the release of the rope, and he moved as fast as he could over to her.

“Peter, no.” Her voice was weak, shaking. “Peter, don’t do this. You can’t live with him.”

“I’m not going to let you die,” Peter whispered. His voice was cracking, wet with tears. He moved his hands to go over her wound, but she pushed him away.

“Peter, go, please,” She begged him, a tear slipped down her cheek. She still held his hands back, her arms weak.

“You promised me you wouldn’t die on me,” Peter’s voice cracked again, he felt tears begin to fall. She smiled, weakly, up at him. She reached one of her hands up, placing it on Peter's cheek.

“I only told you I’d try.” He felt her hand grow weaker, slowly slipping down his face. Eventually, her hand fell next to her. She went limp, her eyes closing. And everything crashed around him. Every piece of hope, every bit of happiness that he’d ever held onto. All the adventure, any idea of home, was gone. Peter whispered her name, a series of apologies following.

He leaned over her, holding onto her. He heard the door open, and he glanced up. Harley stood in the door, holding a dagger of his own. Beck turned, analyzing Harley. He laughed.

“You kids sure do know how to make something dramatic,” Beck said. Harley looked over at Peter, a breath leaving him when he saw MJ. He clenched his jaw, shaking his head at Beck.

“You fucking bitch,” He muttered. Harley ran at him, using one hand to hold back the hand that held Beck’s dagger. Peter closed his eyes, turning away from them. He heard someone fall to the ground, and when he opened his eyes, Beck was on the ground, but Harley’s dagger was still in his hand, perfectly clean.

“What-“

“I just knocked him out. He’ll spend his life in jail, won’t he?” Then Harley looked down at MJ. “Oh god no.”

He ran over, kneeling down across from Peter.

“Can’t you do something?” He asked. He frantically looked up at Peter, begging him.

“I-“ Peter paused for a moment, “I’ll try.”

Peter placed his hand over her wound. He felt the warmth in his hands, felt it spread. The tips of his fingers turned the familiar red, and then the light began to form swirls around the wound and his hands. White light filled the cabin, and Peter felt the warmth crawl up into his arms. The red light then began to intertwine with the white, forming vines and flowers around the cabin.

Peter watched in wonder, he and Harley glancing around the cabin, watching as the light filled every inch of space.

And then it all fell away, slowly retreating back into Peter’s hands. They both watched, praying that something would happen.

And then she groaned, her eyes slowly fluttering open. Peter stared, trying not to make any sudden movements, scared that if he did anything wrong then it might all reverse, and she’d be gone forever.

And then she looked up at Peter, her eyes tired but so bright.

“Glad to see you kept your promise and tried to revive me,” She said, her voice weak but _there. _And she was there. Peter felt more tears fall, but he didn’t care. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her as close as he could. He heard her laugh, her beautiful, musical laugh. And it was like everything was back where it was supposed to be. Like he was home.

He pulled away, looking at her again. And then her hands moved to cup his face, and she had this gorgeous smile on her. And he wanted to kiss her.

But she pulled him towards her, and _she _kissed _him _first. And god, kissing her was like a dream, with all the warmth of the sun and the comfort of the moon. Peter wanted to just stay in that moment forever. Live in the euphoria of MJ being alive.

Harley groaned, “I’m right here guys.”

And so they pulled away, all three of their laughter filling the air as MJ lightly shoved Harley.

—————

Peter was terrified. MJ stood at his side, her hand on his shoulder. Harley had gone in to get Tony. They were waiting, told that Tony would be there any moment.

The courtyard was gorgeous, with fountains, ponds, trees, flowers, and little benches where you could just take in all of it. Peter thought about how he could sit out here, read books to his heart’s content.

And he could sit out here with his dad. His _real _dad. Make up for every moment of lost time.

He, Harley, and MJ could all be here. They could all be together. He could have friends, people that loved him. He could have everything he had ever dreamed of.

The doors opened, and Tony walked out, along with who he could only assume was Queen May. Peter couldn’t read his expression. If it was hope, relief, fear, or if it was something else that he didn’t even know existed.

But he looked tired, like he hadn’t slept in years. Peter looked over him. He had ink on the side of his hand, and Peter immediately wondered what he had written. What Peter would be able to read or look at.

And when Peter looked at him. Something just felt right.

Peter took a step forward to meet him, almost scared that this was all a dream and at any moment he’d wake up, Beck next to him.

Tony looked over him, and then he glanced to MJ. Peter looked back at her, and she nodded at Tony. Peter turned back, and Tony had tears in his eyes.

“Peter?” He asked. He raised his hand up to Peter’s face, and then Peter felt as a tear slipped down his cheek as well. He just nodded in reply, unable to say anything.

And then Tony, his dad, was hugging him. Hugging him so tightly. Peter held on to him, and then he felt himself begin to sob into his dad’s shoulder.

But it all felt right. And in that moment, where his dad was hugging him, both of them crying at the time lost, but also at finally being back, Peter knew he was home. He was _finally _home.


End file.
